Some people from India who were working on making a tunnel got stuck inside it because of a big slide of dirt and rocks. These 41 workers were trapped for more than two weeks. People outside the tunnel talked to the trapped workers and gave them air to breathe, food to eat, and water to drink while they waited to be saved.

A video shows the workers coming out of the tunnel after being stuck there for a long time. They got trapped on November 12 and did not get out until November 28. During this time, people who were trying to save them made sure they had everything they needed and were safe.

Saving the workers was hard and had to be done very carefully. The workers got help and things they needed while they were waiting to be saved. The people who saved them did a great job, and because of their hard work, the workers are now safe.

Original news source: Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Moment Indian workers freed after weeks (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Divide the students into small groups.
2. Provide each group with a copy of the article.
3. Instruct the groups to read the article together and to take notes on the key points.
4. After a designated amount of time, have each group summarize the article in their own words.
5. Encourage the groups to share their summaries with the class and discuss any differences or similarities between them.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Write the following question on the board: “Do you think the workers were brave for staying calm and patient while they were trapped inside the tunnel?”
2. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
3. Instruct the students to discuss their opinions on the question and come up with reasons to support their answers.
4. After a few minutes, have each group share their opinions and reasoning with the class.
5. Facilitate a class discussion where students can respectfully share their different viewpoints and engage in a debate if desired.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Choose 10-15 vocabulary words from the article and write them on separate index cards.
2. Divide the class into two teams.
3. One student from each team will come to the front of the class and pick a vocabulary word from the pile without showing it to their team.
4. The student must then draw a picture on the board to represent the word, while their team tries to guess what the word is.
5. The first team to correctly guess the word gets a point.
6. Repeat with new students and vocabulary words until all the cards have been used.
7. The team with the most points at the end wins the game.

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions:
1. Write a sentence from the article on the board, but leave out key keywords or phrases.
2. Divide the class into two teams.
3. One student from each team will take turns guessing letters to complete the missing words.
4. If a guessed letter is incorrect, draw a part of a hangman on the board.
5. The team must work together to guess the missing keywords before the hangman is completed.
6. Repeat with new sentences and keywords until all students have had a chance to participate.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into small groups.
2. Instruct each group to discuss the pros and cons of the situation described in the article (workers being trapped in a tunnel).
3. Provide guiding questions to help students think about different aspects of the situation, such as safety, teamwork, and perseverance.
4. After a designated amount of time, have each group share their lists of pros and cons with the class.
5. Facilitate a class discussion where students can compare and contrast their lists and discuss the overall impact of the situation.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened to the workers in the tunnel?
2. How long were the workers trapped inside the tunnel?
3. What did the people outside the tunnel give to the trapped workers?
4. When did the workers finally get out of the tunnel?
5. What did the people who were trying to save the workers make sure of?
6. Was it easy or hard to save the workers? Why?
7. Are the workers safe now? Why?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Some people from India who were working on (1)______ a tunnel got stuck inside it because of a big slide of dirt and rocks. These 41 workers were trapped for more than two weeks. (2)______ outside the tunnel (3)______ to the (4)______ workers and gave them air to breathe, food to eat, and water to drink while they waited to be saved.

A (5)______ shows the workers (6)______ out of the tunnel after being stuck there for a long time. They got trapped on November 12 and did not get out until November 28. During this time, people who were trying to (7)______ them (8)______ sure they had everything they needed and were safe.

(9)______ the workers was hard and had to be done very carefully. The workers got help and things they (10)______ while they were (11)______ to be saved. The (12)______ who saved them did a great job, and because of their hard work, the workers are now safe.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a tunnel?
2. How would you feel if you were trapped inside a tunnel?
3. Do you think it was scary for the workers to be stuck inside the tunnel?
4. Why do you think the workers needed air to breathe, food to eat, and water to drink while they were trapped?
5. How do you think the people outside the tunnel helped the workers?
6. Do you think it was difficult to save the workers? Why or why not?
7. What do you think the workers felt when they finally came out of the tunnel?
8. How do you think the people who saved the workers felt after they were rescued?
9. Do you like helping others in difficult situations? Why or why not?
10. What would you do if you were one of the workers trapped inside the tunnel?
11. How do you think the workers felt when they saw the people who came to save them?
12. Do you think it’s important to be prepared for emergencies? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. tunnel
2. stuck
3. slide
4. trapped
5. video
6. saved
7. hard
8. safe

Meanings:
(a) Unable to move or escape from a place
(b) Not able to get out of a place
(c) Rescued or protected from danger
(d) A long, narrow passage underground
(e) Difficult or requiring a lot of effort
(f) When something falls down quickly and covers an area
(g) A moving picture that shows what happened
(h) Not in danger or harm
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. How many workers were trapped inside the tunnel?
(a) 41
(b) 12
(c) 28
(d) 15

2. How long were the workers trapped inside the tunnel?
(a) One week
(b) More than two weeks
(c) Three days
(d) One month

3. What did people outside the tunnel give to the trapped workers?
(a) Books and toys
(b) Money and clothes
(c) Medicine and tools
(d) Air, food, and water

4. When did the workers finally get out of the tunnel?
(a) November 12
(b) December 1
(c) November 28
(d) December 15

5. How did the people outside the tunnel communicate with the trapped workers?
(a) They sent them letters
(b) They used walkie-talkies
(c) They talked to them
(d) They shouted

6. How did the workers get help while they were waiting to be saved?
(a) They had to help themselves
(b) They had to wait without any help
(c) They called for help on their phones
(d) People brought them what they needed

7. Who saved the workers?
(a) People who were trying to save them
(b) The workers saved themselves
(c) The government saved them
(d) The police saved them

8. How would you describe the workers’ situation after they were saved?
(a) They are still trapped
(b) They are now safe
(c) They are in danger
(d) They are lost

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Thanks to the hard work of the rescuers, the workers are now safe.
2. The workers were trapped from November 12 to November 28.
3. A video shows the workers remaining stuck in the tunnel for an extended period of time.
4. Saving the workers was a difficult task that required careful planning and execution.
5. A group of workers in India got stuck inside a tunnel because of a big slide of dirt and rocks.
6. The people trying to save the workers neglected to provide them with everything they needed and failed to keep them safe.
7. The workers were trapped for less than two weeks.
8. People outside the tunnel ignored the trapped workers and denied them air, food, and water.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What happened to the workers inside the tunnel?
2. How long were the workers trapped inside the tunnel?
3. What did the people outside the tunnel give to the trapped workers?
4. What did the people who were trying to save the workers have to do?
5. Why are the workers now safe?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened to the workers in the tunnel?
The workers got stuck inside the tunnel because of a big slide of dirt and rocks.

2. How long were the workers trapped inside the tunnel?
The workers were trapped inside the tunnel for more than two weeks.

3. What did the people outside the tunnel give to the trapped workers?
The people outside the tunnel gave the trapped workers air to breathe, food to eat, and water to drink.

4. When did the workers finally get out of the tunnel?
The workers finally got out of the tunnel on November 28.

5. What did the people who were trying to save the workers make sure of?
The people who were trying to save the workers made sure that they had everything they needed and were safe.

6. Was it easy or hard to save the workers? Why?
It was hard to save the workers because it had to be done very carefully.

7. Are the workers safe now? Why?
Yes, the workers are safe now because they were saved and taken out of the tunnel.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) making
(2) People
(3) talked
(4) trapped
(5) video
(6) coming
(7) save
(8) made
(9) Saving
(10) needed
(11) waiting
(12) people
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. tunnel
Answer: (d) A long, narrow passage underground

2. stuck
Answer: (a) Unable to move or escape from a place

3. slide
Answer: (f) When something falls down quickly and covers an area

4. trapped
Answer: (b) Not able to get out of a place

5. video
Answer: (g) A moving picture that shows what happened

6. saved
Answer: (c) Rescued or protected from danger

7. hard
Answer: (e) Difficult or requiring a lot of effort

8. safe
Answer: (h) Not in danger or harm
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. How many workers were trapped inside the tunnel?
Answer: (a) 41

2. How long were the workers trapped inside the tunnel?
Answer: (b) More than two weeks

3. What did people outside the tunnel give to the trapped workers?
Answer: (d) Air, food, and water

4. When did the workers finally get out of the tunnel?
Answer: (c) November 28

5. How did the people outside the tunnel communicate with the trapped workers?
Answer: (c) They talked to them

6. How did the workers get help while they were waiting to be saved?
Answer: (d) People brought them what they needed

7. Who saved the workers?
Answer: (a) People who were trying to save them

8. How would you describe the workers’ situation after they were saved?
Answer: (b) They are now safe
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Thanks to the hard work of the rescuers, the workers are now safe. (Answer: True)
2. The workers were trapped from November 12 to November 28. (Answer: True)
3. A video shows the workers remaining stuck in the tunnel for an extended period of time. (Answer: False)
4. Saving the workers was a difficult task that required careful planning and execution. (Answer: True)
5. A group of workers in India got stuck inside a tunnel because of a big slide of dirt and rocks. (Answer: True)
6. The people trying to save the workers neglected to provide them with everything they needed and failed to keep them safe. (Answer: False)
7. The workers were trapped for less than two weeks. (Answer: False)
8. People outside the tunnel ignored the trapped workers and denied them air, food, and water. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧